Smash hit new musical TOKYO ROSE releases cast album

The cast album for the critically-acclaimed new musical Tokyo Rose has been released on Spotify today, ahead of the show embarking out on a much-anticipated tour from 16 September–30 October.

A sell-out hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, Tokyo Rose’s energetic score by William Patrick Harrison includes cross-genre tracks encompassing pop, electronic, and neo-classical in a largely sung-through  format to tell the story of one of America’s most controversial trials for treason.

The album, focusing on eight tracks from the show, features the incredible voices of cast members: Kanako Nakano (Miss Saigon, West End; Priscilla Queen of the Desert, West End),  Maya Britto (Tokyo Rose, New Diorama Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe),  Lucy Park (Tokyo Rose, New Diorama Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe), Yuki Sutton (Tokyo Rose, New Diorama Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe), Amy Parker (Ride, Vault Festival), and Cara Baldwin (The Marathon Project, online).

This powerful original musical is told from the point of view of defendant Iva Toguri, accused of  being the notorious wartime broadcaster ‘Tokyo Rose’. Examining a real-life story of  scaremongering and scapegoating, Tokyo Rose foregrounds the voice of the individual, so often drowned out by rabble-rousing discourse; something even Iva herself struggles to hold on to during a journey of self-acceptance.

Composer William Patrick Harrison said: “Crafting this album has been a fantastic opportunity to explore innovative new ways to score a musical. We were united as a team in our  sweat and determination to realise an unrelenting thrill ride of bops, belters and ballads. I  cannot wait for audiences to be inspired by the voices of these incredible women as they have  inspired me. So, if this album does one thing, then let it be to declare to the world with voices  that are powerful, earnest and with the most defiant joy that Iva Toguri lived!”

Tokyo Rose provides a female-centric view of a male dominated period of history. Now in a new two-act full length format, this thought-provoking production is a timely examination of  xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment, unfortunately still relevant today. This production celebrates a community whose point of view is not only overlooked in history, but also  underrepresented on stage and screen.

The tour will visit MAST Mayflower Studios Southampton, Southwark Playhouse, Curve Theatre, Leicester, The North Wall Arts Centre Oxford, Corn Exchange Newbury and Birmingham Hippodrome.

To listen to the album, please click here.

You can also view the lyric video for ‘Hello America’ below…